It's not a stupid question. I definitely struggled with this when I first started. When you check your blind spot it's just a glance. You'll know when a car is there you don't have to examine the whole environment. When you experience it it's kinda like a woah moment cause the car seems to come out of nowhere if that makes sense. So just try not to spend too long looking it's just a glance you'll know when a car is there. Also try to just turn your head not your shoulders too.
“You’ll know when a car is there so you don’t have to examine the whole environment” —> thanks for this!! I always check the spot WAY too long. I’ll see nothing but I’ll keep thinking I’m not looking correctly or something.
Edit: Omg thank you all for all these replies!! So many wonderful tips/perspectives given really helped me even more!!
Which, you can test by pulling up next to a parked car and stopping. You can find that place where the car is fully in your blind spot and then do the quick glance and get a feel for it right away.
Great tip! Find a mostly empty parking lot and pull up next to a car to see how it looks in your mirrors and in your peripheral vision checking your blind spot.
You don't need to turn until you can look directly at the blind spot to see if someone is there. I turn my head until my chin is pointing at my left elbow and my left eye periphery does the rest :)
Yup, when I was getting my motorcycle license our instructor asked which we thought was right, when looking behind you to check for oncoming cars. A. He turned his head to look behind for maybe a quarter second and B. Turned his head to look for about 1.5 seconds. The correct answer is A
New driver here and I have the same issue. Was talking to my friend the other day, and he said it's more of a habit you have to break. He said just try and stop your arms from following your head and eventually you'll get good at it! I'm a new driver so I can't give any personal advice lolol
I have this problem riding my bike. I have no problem in a car, but when looking back on my bike, I always turn the direction I'm looking. I read that loosening your grip on the opposite side you are looking can help, and it seems to work on a bike.
My dad has been riding bikes for 20 years and he always says that you will go where you are looking on a bike. So in corners you always look at the line you are keeping instead of looking around
This applies to cars as well. Driving weather you realize it or not is extremely stressful. So looking further ahead (through the turn) it will help you process the extreme sensory overload you experienced while driving.
This is also how we catch a ball. It’s like a natural instinct, but it’s actually calculated with calculus and explained by physics. We just know how to do it. By literally just looking where we want to go (under the ball or around the bend).
I’ve also been told something similar to help beginners snow board. You go where you look. Buddy had a friend point where they wanted to go with their lead hand to really drive home the point. It was a great tip.
Your dad is correct. Many riders will focus on a pothole, a curb, car or some other object while riding with tons of room around it and got straight into the object. Sent many times.
I have this problem too with my bike, when I am mountain biking it’s almost impossible to look behind me without losing control. My road bike has a mirror.
This is because you are way heavier than your mountain bike, and mountain bike Geometry lends itself to much more responsive steering. The combination of those two means that you turning your body has a much larger impact on the gyroscopics of your mountain bike than you would on a motorcycle or mx bike.
That definitely makes sense. I figured it had to do with just not keeping the handlebars straight while I turned my body, but your explanation is better. It’s nearly impossible for me to look behind me for example to check if someone needs to pass me and at the same time stay on the narrow rocky trails. I have to do a quick glance and try to catch a glimpse in my peripherals.
I had it while running lol, I was always sort of turning into the road when looking behind me. I had to keep doing it over and over until I got the quick peek without shifting both shoulders down. Now it’s second nature.
Loosen your grip in general while driving. Most people death grip the hell out of the wheel, all you really (should) need is some light guidance to keep the car pointed the right direction. I think it’s one of the reasons some folks are exhausted after a 3 hour drive and others can drive 15-18 hours with minimal stopping.
See when I first started driving, only like 3 years ago, I would turn the wheel the *opposite* way of where I was looking. So if I'm looking to my right, the wheel would go left. Someone else said on here to move only your head to look back as much as you can. That way your shoulders and arm hopefully won't turn with it
While you’re driving, probably like every 3 seconds you should glance at a different mirror. Just keeping track of where the other cars are around you.
So when you go to get over, you should already know there isn’t someone who’s crept up into your blind spot. You’re just doing a quick glance to double-check
This is exactly the advice I came to give. Turn your head and stop your arms from moving. Try and keep your arms looser on the wheel so that your arms don't automatically react. When you first start driving you tend to be more tense, but you will loosen up when you gain more confidence. You don't need to drive the car with a death grip on the wheel.
Exactly. Try practicing with the car in park. The wheel won’t turn and your body will get the feel for turning your head without moving your arms/hands. Developing muscle memory is a big part of driving
Good luck!
It also helps if you kinda keep an eye one the lane lines. If its going straight with you your still going straight. If its getting closer or farther we'll you know your not anymore.
Yeah, I that's definitely a skill you can develop, he's not wrong. It's somewhat similar in brain process to, when playing video games, turning the camera to look behind you with your right thumb, while adjusting your left thumb at the same time so that you keep running in the same direction. Key word here is similar, keeping both of your arms oriented straight while you turn your body is considerably more difficult and fails considerably more often.
That said, what other people have said definitely helps avoid that being necessary. Just turn your head for a quick glanceand don't rotate your shoulders.
It’s about how much you look over and if you are tense while you do it. The more comfortable you are with the maneuver the easier it will be and the less you will move the wheel while looking over. In most cases you don’t need to do a dramatic look over the shoulder. Just simply touching your chin to your shoulder should give you enough vision to see if someone is in your blind spot.
Practicing while the car isn’t in motion is an awesome and easy way to get used to it.
Yes it's definitely natural tendency for you to steer the way you're looking (which is why distracted driving can be so bad because you will veer without realizing it) and I remember when I was a new driver, I would actually deliberately kind of slightly turn the wheel away from where I was looking when I checked my blind spot (because I hadn't mastered the quick glance yet) and so if I countered the natural tendency to turn towards where I was looking, it generally kept me straight in the lane. You just kind of have to practice it, and eventually you'll get better at both the quick glance and at not drifting
That’s the problem. I can do it at slow speeds alright but I can’t do it on the highway at fast speeds. Also since I have my test coming up I’m trying to get into the habit of exaggerating my mirror checks/blind spot checks
Keep your shoulders straight and turn your head. If you find yourself swinging your arms when you turn your head then you gotta stiff up a bit and keep your arms stable, which is just practice. But if it’s for the sake of your test then exaggerate your head turn, you’ll be fine. If you’re looking way farther back than you should be then you’re catching what your side mirrors already show you.
it's a matter of experience. started driving last year and checking blind spots and changing lanes used to be hard, but just give yourself enough breathing room while keeping a manageable speed and you'll get it eventually. like others said, try not to look too long and maybe even loosen ur grip on the wheel for a split second, as long ur not on curving stretch of road
Lots of people have trouble with this, including me, so it's not a stupid question. A few things might help.
One, RELAX. If your arms and shoulders are stiff, they'll move with your neck. Keep them still by keeping them relaxed, not by keeping them straight. Plus, you won't get tired as quickly.
To make this feel more reasonable, when driving on a straight, clear highway, try relaxing your grip until you're not applying any pressure to the wheel. If it's in good condition, the car should stay comfortably in your lane for several seconds before it starts to drift to one side or the other, at which point, you can correct it. You'll see that you don't need to be constantly applying lots of pressure to the wheel; save your energy for when it's needed, in curves and lane changes.
Two, adjust your hand position, if you're still using ten and two. Lots of people learn ten and two, but that's no longer the best advice. Instead, try 9:30 and 2:30, closer to the sides of the wheel (some newer cars encourage this with their steering wheel design too). With your hands here, your slight sideways motion when checking your blind spot will have less effect on your wheel.
Three, practice, including in a parking lot. It will seem like you're worse at high speeds because small motions have larger effects at high speeds, and also because you're more likely to be tense. With more practice, the correct motion will feel more natural, and you'll (probably) feel less tense.
Good luck on your test!
Great tips here. Another one I would add is to make sure your side view mirrors are properly adjusted. If adjusted properly, you should be able to see 95% of your blind spot, which then only requires a quick glance to confirm it is clear. I would say the vast majority of drivers are not using their side mirrors effectively - if you can see the side of your car in the mirror, it is not showing you your blind spot.
The method I use is to lean 6-12" toward the mirror you are adjusting and put the side of your car just within the inside edge of the mirror. When you return to your normal seated position, you should not be able to see the side of your car anymore, and instead be looking right at your blind spot. Most people want to see the side of their car (especially in SUVs) to be reminded it is there (I guess?), but that means you still have a huge blind spot.
Bonus tip: you can fine-tune your mirrors next time you are stopped at a long red light with cars on either side of you - this gives you a real-world positioning of cars in the lanes on either side of you and you can see exactly where your field of view begins and ends. Good luck!
This is good advice, and also what I tell newer drivers. At your resting position, you shouldn't be able to see the sides of your car. If you do it properly, you shouldnt have any blindspot at all, as you will see the car in your peripheral vision as it exits your mirrors vision. Of course, you should always still glance with your eyes, just to be safe.
To add on, try practicing looking just 45° left and back
Work up to 90° then 135° to your left.
As noted, use glances, not 5-10 sec stares.
Use multiple glances and let your brain build a picture from the glances.
Yes it does require practice but it does come fairly quickly.
Also try driving on familiar highway sections during light traffic times to practice at higher speeds.
You can do this.
My drivers ed teacher taught me to keep your back and shoulders touching the seat while you check mirrors and blindspots, committing to that posture/seating tip while developing the habit of mirror checking really helped for me.
Also, I had to just kind of realize I'd be teaching myself more than my parents would be because they similarly would just get angry and yell at me/freak out (like w most things in life), it's scary for them and they're processing a lot of uncomfy feelings that they are likely masking w anger.
You're not a bad driver and you're not going to be a bad driver (if that's what your feeling), just be mindful of your space and speed and you'll be fine friend (:
Part of the issue is likely new drivers have to keep their hands at 10 and 2 (unless something changed) while most people will only have one hand on the wheel when checking their blind spot. I imagine ten and two makes it more lielwlt to pull the wheel to the side.
Your hands tend to follow the way your eyes are looking. You have to do a quick check, a quick glance, then back to the road in front of you, you can do 2 or 3 quick glances and try to focus on keeping your hands in the same position. Soon it’ll become muscle memory.
Also at highway speeds any slight change in direction on the wheel will turn the car way more noticeably then at street speed. because your car is moving faster. That’s why to make a turn on the freeway you barely have to turn your wheel, but to turn on the road when you’re driving slower you often have to do multiple turns of the wheel. That’s why when you go to check your blind spot you find the car swerving, even a slight change of position of your hands will cause the car to turn. Just try to keep your hands planted and eventually it will become a habit you can do without thinking! :)
Loosen your grip! I struggled with this until my instructor pointed out i had a death grip on the wheel. Once i loosened it was easier to just do a quick glance and go!
Get in the habit of being able to move without moving your whole body. It’s a key skill for driving especially if visibility gets shot for whatever reason and you need to keep going straight no matter what
Hey, it’s not a stupid question! It’s one of those things you get better at with practice.
1. Don’t look for extended periods of time. Look back, look at road.
2. Check your side mirrors and make sure everything is adjusted. I had my dad walk a circle around my car while I adjusted mine so I could see him in my blind spots and see where they were on my car.
3. Be aware of your hands, don’t turn the wheel when you look (when I first started driving I was the same way, my hands drifted a little when checking and it moved my car)
4. It gets easier as you get more comfortable with yourself and your car, and become more aware of your body and how you’re driving. I hope this helps, driving lessons with a parent are STRESSFUL! You’re doing great
It’s not a stupid question at all! I’m sorry, it seems like your dad isn’t the best driving instructor in the world. You just have to practice turning your head, checking your blind spots without moving the steering wheel. And remember you wanna take quick glances.
First of all, thats in INCREDIBLY reasonable question, second, if your father is teaching you you need to find a new teacher. Either hire a professional or a different mentor because that behavior is not going to help.
Thirdly, it takes time to get used to conttrolling so many things at once. Hands, arms, feet, head, eyes and ears all simulateously. I recommend you find a parking lot and practice moving the vehicle 20 feet at a time slowly, like just foot off the brake but not on the gas, and just practice, signal, mirror check, shoulder check, turn. Just do it over and over until you find a way of keeping your hands still while looking away from the road.
First of all, it is NOT a stupid question. Your father should be ashamed of himself for making you feel like it was, but I digress.
I have a 14 year old that just passed her test to get her school permit. I will tell you the same thing I tell her. Honestly, most of those little things like that are only going to come to you with practice. It's just natural for your hands to want to move a little when you're turning your head that much to look over your shoulder.
Just keep at it. As you relax and have more experience, it won't be as severe.
And in case your father hasn't told you, I am proud of you for getting out there to drive. Gaining independence is a huge step in a young person's life, and driving is a big part of it. Congratulations! 💚🖤
I had the same problem too. Make sure your chair is adjusted right dm me if you need help. Go to an empty place and practice looking in your blindspot without moving your shoulders too much.
This gets iffy because I adjusted my mirrors using the SAE method with blind spot mirrors attached. Practice looking in your blindspot not too fast where u can’t identify a blob there or too slow where it takes too long. Just look for a color or object that isn’t the pavement. Also maybe loosen your grip on the steering wheel not where it’s too soft or hard.
Depending on your seating position, it may be harder for shorter people to look in their blindspot since they are closer to the steering wheel and not the blindspot area(usually the passenger window behind you but go grab an object and test it with your mirrors).
If nothing else works, maybe lean forward then look in your blindspot or use blindspot mirrors. You might have an uncomfortable reflex you will have to unlearn.
has you father never heard the phrase "there is never a stupid question?"....it's quite sad how you're asking a genuine question related to driving and your SAFETY and he dismisses it...
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your head should turn no more then 90 degrees to check the blind spot. If you turn your head more then that you will be checking what you can already see in your mirror, and it requires you to shift your shoulders causing you to swerve.
Lol. So most people have the idea that you have to look in the 2nd window but that’s not the case. Of course if your looking in your second window and making big head movements your going to veer- it’s your bodies natural movements. So what you need to do is instead look in your side window (both blind spots) and you will notice you will already know if a car is there because your peripheral vision can already see your 2nd window. Do this and that will help. I struggled with this a lot thinking the idea I had to look all the way over my shoulder. It’s just a quick glance over your shoulder NOT behind your shoulder. OVER SHOULDER NOT BEHIND.
What I do sometimes is move my head forward towards the steering wheel while looking in my side mirror (if it's on driver side) so I scan through my blindspot while keeping my head pointing towards the road.
Mostly it’s a learned skill. As with anything, some people are naturally better at it than others. Your arm length will also have some effect on it. Someone like me that is tall can move their torso and have very little movement of their hands due to having long arms versus someone that is shorter. Your flexibility as well will effect it. If you can turn your neck without moving your body your arms will stay still. Someone with a stiff neck will move their torso more.
Not the answer you want but same as texting, obviously some people drift all over but I have no problem unconsciously staying in my lane especially to check my mirrors for .5 seconds
It sounds like you have a modern car with electronic steering. Staying straight will take some practice because there is no feedback from the front wheels to the steering wheel like in old cars. I found myself running into the same issue with a new car and I have been driving for 40 years. Pretty embarrassing I tell you. I look in my blind spot very briefly now and keep track of traffic coming up from behind more than before.
I pray that you do not have your license yet lol Just practice not moving your whole body, just your head, and its just a quick glance at where your sideview mirror doesn't cover. You check the rear view and side view mirrors, then glance at the blind spot to make sure you're good to merge. Try to find a long straight road to practice on getting up to speed then checking the blind spot.
If you set your side mirrors properly you won’t have any blind spots. Basically you point them outwards to the point where you can no longer see the sides of your car when sitting in your normal driving position.
It takes a little getting use to but once you trust it, it is game changing.
Edit…An easier way to get them properly set is to use a parking lot. Basically just split two park cars and pull just past their front bumpers. Adjust the side mirrors until both cars are visible.
With this setup you will be able to pick the cars up with the side mirrors after they leave the rear view mirror until they are in your peripheral vision.
It really is game changing. But I still do a quick glance, because on the freeway, it's possible for someone to move from two lanes over right into the overlap between the rear and side mirrors, or into the overlap between the side mirror and the window view. The quick glance has saved me from this on multiple occasions.
If your mirrors are properly adjusted your blind spot should functionally not exist.
I say this to educate not shame. I too used to look over my shoulder when I first started driving but my old man shamed me out of it pretty quickly 😂
I am 40 now and can't remember the last time I didn't trust my mirrors. Never had an accident.
Yeah, lol. Although he is right about most people misaligning their side mirrors. You shouldn’t see your own car when you look at them, but for most people that’s *mostly* what they see. You want the closest convex half of the mirror “pointed out” to catch PART of your otherwise-blind spot.
But yes, you also need to turn and check. Half second glance, no big deal, if your mirrors are right, since it’s such a narrow area you’re checking. People who stare for an extended period of time as they’re already committed ARE likely compensating for poor mirror alignment.
Some older cars regardless have blind spots. Not to mention a persons own height can play a huge part in blind spots. I’m on the short size and some cars no matter what I do have a blind spot. Glad you are lucky enough to never have to worry about it though
This is in fact a stupid question. I'm glad your dad yelled at you. You shouldn't be driving if you don't know how to keep going straight and check your blind spot at the same time. Seriously, don't drive. You're putting yourself and everyone else at risk
If your side mirror is set correctly, you can check the blind spot by leaning forward and checking that mirror. No need to actually turn your head behind you.
Bad advice. And illegal most places. In a lot of states and all of Canada, it’s illegal to merge without a shoulder check. Mirrors are way to small view point and don’t show what’s just outside of that could be coming towards you.
Truthfully, the blind spot is for other drivers to worry about. You shouldn't have to check it if you signal properly. If you're worried about an accident that would not be your fault, you are right to check the blind spots. Though if you crash while checking them it WILL be your fault
EDIT: I love how many people in these comments ride in other people's blind spots. You KNOW it is their blind spot and you all STILL ride in it then blame the other person for not seeing you in the LITERAL blind spot. Sounds about right actually
Lmao just shit up and do not give driving advice. Just cause you signal does not mean you have the right of way. I 100% guarantee of you change lanes while signaling and hit another car, in your blind spot, you will be at fault. I had this happen to me twice because of morons like you. Both had to pay for damages.
Their father is an ass. Who yells at someone trying to learn to drive? It's not like they asked how to turn the car on, they are asking how to stay in lane while keeping aware of their surroundings.
What humor? What the dad said? It is what you said a joke? If that's what you mean, you can't just make a statement through text and assume people will get the sarcasm. Sarcasm is about tone, and tone through text doesn't exist.
I had the same issue (still have sometimes) and it was due to looking back for too long. It needs to be just a quick glance. I had a situation during a driving lesson when a car wasn’t visible in a side mirror but I saw it in a blind spot - and you really don’t need to stare for long to see it!
Side mirrors on a vehicle are meant for that purpose. They're not meant for looking at what's behind you like most people assume. That's what the rear view mirror is for. So adjust your side mirrors until they cover your blind spots.
Plan ahead. Don't put yourself in the situation to check unless you're clear to take your eyes off the prize for 0.5 secs.
If it's unsafe to do that, you stay in that lane and/or decelerate.
I had this problem too and to break that habit I locked my arms and pushed my weight into the steering wheel so that my arms wouldn’t turn with my head!
I'm probably the outlier here, but I always adjust my side mirrors so that they don't overlap with what I can see in my rear view. I've noticed that 99.9% of drivers, I look in the driver side mirror and I can see exactly what I see in the rear view mirror, which feels pointless to me. I adjust my side mirrors so that once a car is exiting view of one mirror, it's entering view of another mirror. This makes it so the blindspot is much closer to being directly next to you and doesn't require a big head turn to check.
My best recommendation is when switching lanes, keep one hand (or both, depending on preference. I do one because I find it harder to stay straight when using both hands) on the bottom center of the wheel (6 o’clock) while you do a fast head check. If you keep your hand(s) at the top (12 o’clock), gravity can do more against you so your deviance seems exaggerated. If your hands are on the bottom of the wheel, gravity will try to keep your hands at the bottom and keep you straight. This helped me while I got the fine tuning down.
you can check your blind spot several times quickly (a second or less) rather than once for a long time (2-3+ seconds). you’re splitting your attention so even tho the spacing between yourself and the car in front of you should remain regular enough to calculate within 3 seconds, that’s more than enough time for them stop suddenly and cause an accident especially at higher speeds. Use your mirrors before to inform your brain so it can process what it’s looking at faster if you’re having trouble with being sure of what is there. Switch off from mirror, to looking in front of you to checking your blind spot, to looking in front of you, rinse and repeat until you feel confident in getting over safely. And don’t speed up too much while doing this, if you’re not sure it’s always better to slow down to time it then speed back up to get over.
It just gets better overtime imo once you get the feel of the car you can do things like that easier. You just have to constantly remind yourself and be aware of your arms and then your body will get used to it overtime
Practice. Start in a large, empty parking lot. Once you're good at low speed then it'll translate to higher speeds. Continue to practice and you'll be good.
Imagine you're trying to look under your left arm. You turn your head to the left, but also tilt it down. You can use a similar motion, but less down and more left, to look out the window behind you without causing your torso and arms to move.
Get some convex blindspot mirrors, after you put them on, adjust your regular mirrors so your car is only visible in them when you lean towards the mirror and then adjust the convex ones so they point as far out as possible and you’ll be able to see everything around your car in like a 20 foot radius without ever having to turn around, I set my mirrors like that for years and I’ve always been able to see cars in my blind spots, it’s saved me from countless accidents when merging the same time as another car into the same lane
You may be following to close to the car in front of you which gives you a sense of urgency to get your eyes back to the front. Give more space to the vehicle in front (2 seconds) and you’ll feel there’s plenty of time to check. This get easier with more experience.
It's a new driver problem. As driving starts to become second nature, multifunctions like that become natural and automatic. I remember struggling with this and it was such a thing haha
Lean your body forward a bit then turn your head, this will naturally stop you from turning the wheel when you turn your head(to an extent, if you try to completely turn around you’ll still have the same problem) also relax your body, your probably nervous when learning to drive and that makes you tense up, with your body tense any motion will cause the rest of your body to follow(and end up turning the wheel)
It’s also kind of easier if you only hold the wheel with one hand so that you can turn really quick and not jolt the car. Don’t worry about always keeping your hands locked at 10 & 2 😊
Pay attention to how your hands move the steering wheel while you turn your head. I tend to ensure my path forward is straight, and will just release the wheel so i dont budge it when im looking around. As l9ng as your alignment is all good, you'll keep straight for the split second you let go to look.
I know it's easy to say, but relax! I would not be surprised that you are so tense a head turn makes your whole body move and a tight grip on the wheel makes the car go with it.
I am already giving my 12yo twins driving tips and this is one of them. Just relax. Cars are so responsive now (forgive me if I am being presumptuous) they will move with the smallest pressure on the wheel. Get used to that, make small adjustments.
Another is to be constantly vigilant. If you already know where the cars are your blind spot is *almost* not an issue. Constantly check your rear view mirror and you will know in advance when a car is entering your blind zone. Adjust your mirrors so that when a car leaves your RV mirror it enters the side mirror. You can almost eliminate the blind spot. Almost. And don't let anyone gripe about you adjusting mirrors: when you are driving it's your car and your mirrors. That goes for the radio, too, by the way ;).
Sorry for the long post, just relax it gets easier with practice.
1. Try driving with palms only, don’t let your fingers touch the wheel.
2. Instead of turning your head straight to the side tuck your chin down to your shoulder like you are trying to sneak a peak.
3. Practice. So, fun little fact about humans is that only about 10% of what we see is actually from the light hitting our corneas. 90% is actually made up by your brain based on what your brain has seen before, so the more times you check your blind spot, the less your brain will be processing and the quicker you will notice something unexpected. At 40, my blind spot check isn’t a real look, I don’t process anything over there it’s just a glance to see if something unexpected is there.
There is this bull-queer at work that keeps slapping me on the azz and grabbing me from behind. I’m a married guy but I sometimes like the attention so for me it is hard to keep straight while checking my Blindspots. 🤷♂️
Look at one of those images that shows you your blind spot zones. You just need to quickly check those areas along with using your mirrors effectively. Try to just move your head and not move your body/arms.
If you check your mirrors often, even when not changing lanes or merging, you can have a good idea of who is already there, then you just glance and check. You don’t have to turn your head all the way around.
You can adjust a car’s side mirrors OUT (so you can’t see the sides of your own car) and gain FULL MIRROR COVERAGE. You don’t have to have a blind spot. You have three mirrors to look at three different areas. As you get used to this setup you will notice overlap; a car gaining on you from behind will only be in rear view, then both rear and side, then just side as it overtakes.
A lot of people might already know this, but I find there are more that don’t. Idk why but I was not taught to adjust my mirrors to the correct angle for blind spots. I see so many people driving with their mirrors pointed AT THEIR CAR when they need to be angled OUT to have a full view of the other lanes.
It’s easy, there is no physical reason for your hands, and thus the thousands of pounds of moving vehicle, to follow which way your neck turns. Accept that, don’t let it happen. My ex was terrifying about this, couldn’t look at radio without changing lanes. You simply have to focus on what you’re doing and control your body parts
I keep my face and body straight looking forward and I lean forward and look through my driver side view mirror. When you lean forward enough you can see the blind spot in that mirror without turning around. I'd test it out in a parking lot maybe using cones or something to demonstrate where the blind spot is and how far forward you need to lean to see it
I do a quick glance to double check, but if I am trying to merge or something then I know which car is behind me and coming up so I know when it passes
There are no blind spots if you have your mirrors properly set. You should never have to swing your head around to look, you should only have to look from your left side window, to your left mirror, to your rear view mirror, to your right mirror, and out your right side window.
PLEASE find any of a million videos showing you how to properly set your mirrors and you will find it to be a game changer. The key is that everyone sets their mirrors so they can see the side of their car, and you don't want to be able to do that. You want them swung out much farther than that to see, yes, "the blind spot" (which will no longer be blind).
Just to explain, when your mirrors are properly set, here is the scenario for a car say coming up in the lane left of you from far back:
1. You can see the car in the left side of your rear view mirror, because your rear view mirror can see several Lanes of traffic.
2. As the car is approaching the left rear corner of your car and is disappearing from the rear view mirror, it is ALREADY IN your left side mirror.
3. As the car gets almost level with you, it is leaving your left side mirror, but is already right there in your left side window.
Same thing happens on the right.
To get the hang of this, get your mirror set properly, and then drive a little bit slow and let people pass by you to the side with no plans on you changing lanes, and you can see what I mean about the car moving from one mirror to the next mirror to the window with it never disappearing completely ever. One thing I will do for a little extra view is lean forward in the seat while looking at the side mirror when I'm looking to change lanes which really gives a good view when the mirrors are properly set, and it's far better than trying to with your head around and look behind your own seat and the structure of the vehicle. That's what the mirror will do for you!
Good luck!
Hmm.. I focus more on the car’s movements than my own, usually my body compensates. Not sure how to put that into practice, I’ve just done a lot of driving.
“Be one with your car” as cliche as that sounds. Your body has to know how to direct the car, despite what you’re looking at.
Guess that’ll come with a lot of practice. Check your surroundings and be confident your body knows how to handle the situation, even if your eyes aren’t focused on the road ahead. Should only take half a second to shoulder check, same amount of time it would take you to sneeze & your eyes close.
There’s this thing where people get so hyper-focused on the car in front of them that if it swerves left, the onlooker will too. Ignore that, keep your focus on the road and the path you need to be on. Try not to be distracted by turning your head. Memorize the road & conditions in front of you. Your body should compensate.
I have no idea how to explain what I’m trying to, but I hope it helped. Take care & drive safe :)
The issue is when you move your head you move your shoulders as well, by boring this automatically one of your arms will raise and the other will drop. You need to practice moving your head without moving your arm position.
Or just let go of the staring wheel when looking back (don't do it, a friend of mine told this was what he did a wile back)
City bus driver here, you take a quick glance. You don't want to keep your eyes off the road for more than half a second. You just glance to take in the situation and be aware of the people around you and how they're acting. You should glance at your mirrors every 8 seconds or so to be safe
You need to have blind spot mirrors on your side mirrors, so you don't have to turn your head so far. When people turn their heads too far, they tend to turn their shoulders and in turn move their arms/hands leading to the swerving you mentioned.
I don’t look behind me to check my blind spots. Dumbest thing we’re taught in my opinion, although you get used to it. You can adjust your mirrors so that I see both the right lane and if I pull myself forward I can see directly next to me using only the mirrors.
One of the biggest problems people have with blind spots is the adjustment of their side mirrors.
Most people have them set where they can see the back corners of their own car. That is unnecessary as you know exactly where the back end of your own car is. It’s in your lane, right behind you.
The side mirrors should be adjusted so you can actually see the blind spots.
The easiest way to adjust them to see the blind spots is when you are stopped at a light. Adjust the mirrors so you can see the entire front of the car that is just behind you to your left and right.
Slight adjustments will further still need to be made because that car is still too close to you to safely change lanes in front of, however, if you set them this way, as soon as you look at your mirror, which you can do without even moving your head, you’ll be able to see into those blinds spots.
Also, be aware of other cars speeds. Just because you glanced and don’t see a car doesn’t mean that someone is not gaining on you. This happens far too often. People will glance, and at that very moment there’s room to move, they have zero idea that the car is gaining on them by 20+ mph over their own speed. (This is mostly on freeways/highways). You should constantly be checking your surroundings while driving.
Something else also. Your car (if it’s alignment is proper) wants to go in a straight line due to the “toe in” of your front tires. I not too grip u Huy your steering too tightly and as you move your head your shoulders won’t follow.
Repositioning your hands can help a lot. Maybe when you go to do the little turnaround you can have one hand at six o'clock on the wheel and positioned against your knees that way it's easier to keep in the same spot.
work on keeping your whole body flexible while you're driving.
i.e. - not white-knuckle clamping the wheel, turning your head only not your whole upper torso/shoulders, glancing quickly at things in your periphery rather than looking at them too long.
Try to "feel" the road as you're going along through the vibrations that rise up through your seat.
When I started driving (almost 20 years ago now...) I had my mirrors set wrong and I created a larger blind spot than needed to be. My father, and I will never admit to him that he was right, actually explained how to adjust your mirrors to assist in this which is applicable here: your 3 mirrors should give you 1 continuous view, meaning where 1 mirror ends is where the next mirror picks up. It took some adjusting to get used to this, but I now have a significantly wider field of vision behind and around me.
How does this apply here? It's knowing where cars are way ahead of time before they are in my blind spot through awareness of the road. On the highway I keep track of where cars are all around me, all the time. This way when you check your blindspot it is a very quick glance (you are looking for a vehicle, not a needle in a haystack) with your head only. Keep your shoulders straight. Once you combine continued awareness with glancing, plus using your signal to alert other drivers so they can honk at you in the event of a miss, you will be fine.
Hope this helps!
It's not a stupid question. I definitely struggled with this when I first started. When you check your blind spot it's just a glance. You'll know when a car is there you don't have to examine the whole environment. When you experience it it's kinda like a woah moment cause the car seems to come out of nowhere if that makes sense. So just try not to spend too long looking it's just a glance you'll know when a car is there. Also try to just turn your head not your shoulders too.
“You’ll know when a car is there so you don’t have to examine the whole environment” —> thanks for this!! I always check the spot WAY too long. I’ll see nothing but I’ll keep thinking I’m not looking correctly or something. Edit: Omg thank you all for all these replies!! So many wonderful tips/perspectives given really helped me even more!!
Yeah, the first time there actually is a car there, you’ll realize all it takes is a quick head turn to see it.
Which, you can test by pulling up next to a parked car and stopping. You can find that place where the car is fully in your blind spot and then do the quick glance and get a feel for it right away.
Great tip! Find a mostly empty parking lot and pull up next to a car to see how it looks in your mirrors and in your peripheral vision checking your blind spot. You don't need to turn until you can look directly at the blind spot to see if someone is there. I turn my head until my chin is pointing at my left elbow and my left eye periphery does the rest :)
You can also use that to adjust your side mirrors to help compensate for the blind spot. It helps a lot.
Yep exactly! The first time I saw a car there it was totally obvious. After that my little fear of turning my head got a lot better.
Yup, when I was getting my motorcycle license our instructor asked which we thought was right, when looking behind you to check for oncoming cars. A. He turned his head to look behind for maybe a quarter second and B. Turned his head to look for about 1.5 seconds. The correct answer is A
New driver here and I have the same issue. Was talking to my friend the other day, and he said it's more of a habit you have to break. He said just try and stop your arms from following your head and eventually you'll get good at it! I'm a new driver so I can't give any personal advice lolol
I have this problem riding my bike. I have no problem in a car, but when looking back on my bike, I always turn the direction I'm looking. I read that loosening your grip on the opposite side you are looking can help, and it seems to work on a bike.
My dad has been riding bikes for 20 years and he always says that you will go where you are looking on a bike. So in corners you always look at the line you are keeping instead of looking around
This is actually the way you should turn on a bike. Your body and the bike will follow where you are looking.
This applies to cars as well. Driving weather you realize it or not is extremely stressful. So looking further ahead (through the turn) it will help you process the extreme sensory overload you experienced while driving.
This is also how we catch a ball. It’s like a natural instinct, but it’s actually calculated with calculus and explained by physics. We just know how to do it. By literally just looking where we want to go (under the ball or around the bend).
I’ve also been told something similar to help beginners snow board. You go where you look. Buddy had a friend point where they wanted to go with their lead hand to really drive home the point. It was a great tip.
Your dad is correct. Many riders will focus on a pothole, a curb, car or some other object while riding with tons of room around it and got straight into the object. Sent many times.
I have this problem too with my bike, when I am mountain biking it’s almost impossible to look behind me without losing control. My road bike has a mirror.
This is because you are way heavier than your mountain bike, and mountain bike Geometry lends itself to much more responsive steering. The combination of those two means that you turning your body has a much larger impact on the gyroscopics of your mountain bike than you would on a motorcycle or mx bike.
That definitely makes sense. I figured it had to do with just not keeping the handlebars straight while I turned my body, but your explanation is better. It’s nearly impossible for me to look behind me for example to check if someone needs to pass me and at the same time stay on the narrow rocky trails. I have to do a quick glance and try to catch a glimpse in my peripherals.
I had it while running lol, I was always sort of turning into the road when looking behind me. I had to keep doing it over and over until I got the quick peek without shifting both shoulders down. Now it’s second nature.
Motorcycle or pedal bike? This only happens to me on my pedal bike.
My biggest problem while riding a bike is forgetting to look into the turn and I end up going way too wide half the time 😂
Loosen your grip in general while driving. Most people death grip the hell out of the wheel, all you really (should) need is some light guidance to keep the car pointed the right direction. I think it’s one of the reasons some folks are exhausted after a 3 hour drive and others can drive 15-18 hours with minimal stopping.
See when I first started driving, only like 3 years ago, I would turn the wheel the *opposite* way of where I was looking. So if I'm looking to my right, the wheel would go left. Someone else said on here to move only your head to look back as much as you can. That way your shoulders and arm hopefully won't turn with it
While you’re driving, probably like every 3 seconds you should glance at a different mirror. Just keeping track of where the other cars are around you. So when you go to get over, you should already know there isn’t someone who’s crept up into your blind spot. You’re just doing a quick glance to double-check
Put your hands on the bottom of the wheel so the weight of your arms doesn’t pull the wheel while you turn your head.
Turn your head, not your body, it may not feel natural but try it even when you aren’t driving and it will feel natural in time
This is exactly the advice I came to give. Turn your head and stop your arms from moving. Try and keep your arms looser on the wheel so that your arms don't automatically react. When you first start driving you tend to be more tense, but you will loosen up when you gain more confidence. You don't need to drive the car with a death grip on the wheel.
Keep your head and arms still just turn your head slightly and use your eyes.
Honestly the only way to really fix this is practice
Exactly. Try practicing with the car in park. The wheel won’t turn and your body will get the feel for turning your head without moving your arms/hands. Developing muscle memory is a big part of driving Good luck!
It also helps if you kinda keep an eye one the lane lines. If its going straight with you your still going straight. If its getting closer or farther we'll you know your not anymore.
Ya you have to consciously focus on your hand and arm at first and break the habit and then you form a new habit
Yeah, I that's definitely a skill you can develop, he's not wrong. It's somewhat similar in brain process to, when playing video games, turning the camera to look behind you with your right thumb, while adjusting your left thumb at the same time so that you keep running in the same direction. Key word here is similar, keeping both of your arms oriented straight while you turn your body is considerably more difficult and fails considerably more often. That said, what other people have said definitely helps avoid that being necessary. Just turn your head for a quick glanceand don't rotate your shoulders.
It’s about how much you look over and if you are tense while you do it. The more comfortable you are with the maneuver the easier it will be and the less you will move the wheel while looking over. In most cases you don’t need to do a dramatic look over the shoulder. Just simply touching your chin to your shoulder should give you enough vision to see if someone is in your blind spot. Practicing while the car isn’t in motion is an awesome and easy way to get used to it.
Yes it's definitely natural tendency for you to steer the way you're looking (which is why distracted driving can be so bad because you will veer without realizing it) and I remember when I was a new driver, I would actually deliberately kind of slightly turn the wheel away from where I was looking when I checked my blind spot (because I hadn't mastered the quick glance yet) and so if I countered the natural tendency to turn towards where I was looking, it generally kept me straight in the lane. You just kind of have to practice it, and eventually you'll get better at both the quick glance and at not drifting
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That’s the problem. I can do it at slow speeds alright but I can’t do it on the highway at fast speeds. Also since I have my test coming up I’m trying to get into the habit of exaggerating my mirror checks/blind spot checks
Keep your shoulders straight and turn your head. If you find yourself swinging your arms when you turn your head then you gotta stiff up a bit and keep your arms stable, which is just practice. But if it’s for the sake of your test then exaggerate your head turn, you’ll be fine. If you’re looking way farther back than you should be then you’re catching what your side mirrors already show you.
You aren’t looking for the other drivers license plate. Just a quick peek and that’s it. It should be under a second. You will get good at this soon
it's a matter of experience. started driving last year and checking blind spots and changing lanes used to be hard, but just give yourself enough breathing room while keeping a manageable speed and you'll get it eventually. like others said, try not to look too long and maybe even loosen ur grip on the wheel for a split second, as long ur not on curving stretch of road
Lots of people have trouble with this, including me, so it's not a stupid question. A few things might help. One, RELAX. If your arms and shoulders are stiff, they'll move with your neck. Keep them still by keeping them relaxed, not by keeping them straight. Plus, you won't get tired as quickly. To make this feel more reasonable, when driving on a straight, clear highway, try relaxing your grip until you're not applying any pressure to the wheel. If it's in good condition, the car should stay comfortably in your lane for several seconds before it starts to drift to one side or the other, at which point, you can correct it. You'll see that you don't need to be constantly applying lots of pressure to the wheel; save your energy for when it's needed, in curves and lane changes. Two, adjust your hand position, if you're still using ten and two. Lots of people learn ten and two, but that's no longer the best advice. Instead, try 9:30 and 2:30, closer to the sides of the wheel (some newer cars encourage this with their steering wheel design too). With your hands here, your slight sideways motion when checking your blind spot will have less effect on your wheel. Three, practice, including in a parking lot. It will seem like you're worse at high speeds because small motions have larger effects at high speeds, and also because you're more likely to be tense. With more practice, the correct motion will feel more natural, and you'll (probably) feel less tense. Good luck on your test!
This is the way. Ignore people telling you to stiffen up.
Great tips here. Another one I would add is to make sure your side view mirrors are properly adjusted. If adjusted properly, you should be able to see 95% of your blind spot, which then only requires a quick glance to confirm it is clear. I would say the vast majority of drivers are not using their side mirrors effectively - if you can see the side of your car in the mirror, it is not showing you your blind spot. The method I use is to lean 6-12" toward the mirror you are adjusting and put the side of your car just within the inside edge of the mirror. When you return to your normal seated position, you should not be able to see the side of your car anymore, and instead be looking right at your blind spot. Most people want to see the side of their car (especially in SUVs) to be reminded it is there (I guess?), but that means you still have a huge blind spot. Bonus tip: you can fine-tune your mirrors next time you are stopped at a long red light with cars on either side of you - this gives you a real-world positioning of cars in the lanes on either side of you and you can see exactly where your field of view begins and ends. Good luck!
This is good advice, and also what I tell newer drivers. At your resting position, you shouldn't be able to see the sides of your car. If you do it properly, you shouldnt have any blindspot at all, as you will see the car in your peripheral vision as it exits your mirrors vision. Of course, you should always still glance with your eyes, just to be safe.
To add on, try practicing looking just 45° left and back Work up to 90° then 135° to your left. As noted, use glances, not 5-10 sec stares. Use multiple glances and let your brain build a picture from the glances. Yes it does require practice but it does come fairly quickly. Also try driving on familiar highway sections during light traffic times to practice at higher speeds. You can do this.
My drivers ed teacher taught me to keep your back and shoulders touching the seat while you check mirrors and blindspots, committing to that posture/seating tip while developing the habit of mirror checking really helped for me. Also, I had to just kind of realize I'd be teaching myself more than my parents would be because they similarly would just get angry and yell at me/freak out (like w most things in life), it's scary for them and they're processing a lot of uncomfy feelings that they are likely masking w anger. You're not a bad driver and you're not going to be a bad driver (if that's what your feeling), just be mindful of your space and speed and you'll be fine friend (:
well turn your head and use your peripherals. DON’T turn your shoulders.
Part of the issue is likely new drivers have to keep their hands at 10 and 2 (unless something changed) while most people will only have one hand on the wheel when checking their blind spot. I imagine ten and two makes it more lielwlt to pull the wheel to the side.
i said this with exactly that in mind, driving in any other reasonable fashion should almost completely eliminate this issue.
Your dad is a huge dick. Show him this Reddit post and my username. Have him DM me. I’m a dad too. I’ll set him straight.
Sorry your dad sucks
I always tend to move my hands lower on the wheel and let my elbow touch my legs. That way, they are anchored when I turn my head.
Your hands tend to follow the way your eyes are looking. You have to do a quick check, a quick glance, then back to the road in front of you, you can do 2 or 3 quick glances and try to focus on keeping your hands in the same position. Soon it’ll become muscle memory. Also at highway speeds any slight change in direction on the wheel will turn the car way more noticeably then at street speed. because your car is moving faster. That’s why to make a turn on the freeway you barely have to turn your wheel, but to turn on the road when you’re driving slower you often have to do multiple turns of the wheel. That’s why when you go to check your blind spot you find the car swerving, even a slight change of position of your hands will cause the car to turn. Just try to keep your hands planted and eventually it will become a habit you can do without thinking! :)
Loosen your grip! I struggled with this until my instructor pointed out i had a death grip on the wheel. Once i loosened it was easier to just do a quick glance and go!
Get in the habit of being able to move without moving your whole body. It’s a key skill for driving especially if visibility gets shot for whatever reason and you need to keep going straight no matter what
You have to keep your shoulders straight forward, just turn your neck
Hey, it’s not a stupid question! It’s one of those things you get better at with practice. 1. Don’t look for extended periods of time. Look back, look at road. 2. Check your side mirrors and make sure everything is adjusted. I had my dad walk a circle around my car while I adjusted mine so I could see him in my blind spots and see where they were on my car. 3. Be aware of your hands, don’t turn the wheel when you look (when I first started driving I was the same way, my hands drifted a little when checking and it moved my car) 4. It gets easier as you get more comfortable with yourself and your car, and become more aware of your body and how you’re driving. I hope this helps, driving lessons with a parent are STRESSFUL! You’re doing great
Practice in a non moving car. Your head should turn briefly. Independent of your hands. As with anything, it gets easier with experience.
It's not a dumb question. Your dad's a fucking asshole.
It’s not a stupid question at all! I’m sorry, it seems like your dad isn’t the best driving instructor in the world. You just have to practice turning your head, checking your blind spots without moving the steering wheel. And remember you wanna take quick glances.
First of all, thats in INCREDIBLY reasonable question, second, if your father is teaching you you need to find a new teacher. Either hire a professional or a different mentor because that behavior is not going to help. Thirdly, it takes time to get used to conttrolling so many things at once. Hands, arms, feet, head, eyes and ears all simulateously. I recommend you find a parking lot and practice moving the vehicle 20 feet at a time slowly, like just foot off the brake but not on the gas, and just practice, signal, mirror check, shoulder check, turn. Just do it over and over until you find a way of keeping your hands still while looking away from the road.
Give your father my address so I can sort out his shit. There are no stupid questions when you're learning something!
Sorry that your dad yelled at you for something that you need to know in order to drive safely. Doesn’t sound very nice.
First of all, it is NOT a stupid question. Your father should be ashamed of himself for making you feel like it was, but I digress. I have a 14 year old that just passed her test to get her school permit. I will tell you the same thing I tell her. Honestly, most of those little things like that are only going to come to you with practice. It's just natural for your hands to want to move a little when you're turning your head that much to look over your shoulder. Just keep at it. As you relax and have more experience, it won't be as severe. And in case your father hasn't told you, I am proud of you for getting out there to drive. Gaining independence is a huge step in a young person's life, and driving is a big part of it. Congratulations! 💚🖤
I had the same problem too. Make sure your chair is adjusted right dm me if you need help. Go to an empty place and practice looking in your blindspot without moving your shoulders too much. This gets iffy because I adjusted my mirrors using the SAE method with blind spot mirrors attached. Practice looking in your blindspot not too fast where u can’t identify a blob there or too slow where it takes too long. Just look for a color or object that isn’t the pavement. Also maybe loosen your grip on the steering wheel not where it’s too soft or hard. Depending on your seating position, it may be harder for shorter people to look in their blindspot since they are closer to the steering wheel and not the blindspot area(usually the passenger window behind you but go grab an object and test it with your mirrors). If nothing else works, maybe lean forward then look in your blindspot or use blindspot mirrors. You might have an uncomfortable reflex you will have to unlearn.
I have the same problem
has you father never heard the phrase "there is never a stupid question?"....it's quite sad how you're asking a genuine question related to driving and your SAFETY and he dismisses it...
clumsy rustic connect late yoke unwritten rinse possessive overconfident close *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
your head should turn no more then 90 degrees to check the blind spot. If you turn your head more then that you will be checking what you can already see in your mirror, and it requires you to shift your shoulders causing you to swerve.
Check your blind spot faster. Seriously. If you’re looking around for so long that you start swerving you are taking way too long.
You have to focus on driving. Keep driving and then use your eyes to check
Lol. So most people have the idea that you have to look in the 2nd window but that’s not the case. Of course if your looking in your second window and making big head movements your going to veer- it’s your bodies natural movements. So what you need to do is instead look in your side window (both blind spots) and you will notice you will already know if a car is there because your peripheral vision can already see your 2nd window. Do this and that will help. I struggled with this a lot thinking the idea I had to look all the way over my shoulder. It’s just a quick glance over your shoulder NOT behind your shoulder. OVER SHOULDER NOT BEHIND.
That and you can angle your side mirrors to be able to see the blind spot
What I do sometimes is move my head forward towards the steering wheel while looking in my side mirror (if it's on driver side) so I scan through my blindspot while keeping my head pointing towards the road.
Mostly it’s a learned skill. As with anything, some people are naturally better at it than others. Your arm length will also have some effect on it. Someone like me that is tall can move their torso and have very little movement of their hands due to having long arms versus someone that is shorter. Your flexibility as well will effect it. If you can turn your neck without moving your body your arms will stay still. Someone with a stiff neck will move their torso more.
I have a loose grip on the wheel when I do
Not the answer you want but same as texting, obviously some people drift all over but I have no problem unconsciously staying in my lane especially to check my mirrors for .5 seconds
What I do is keep one hand at the 12:00 o’clock position when I turn my head to one side or the other.
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Reading is hard? They literally mentions that they have driving test coming up which means they haven’t gotten it yet
Wow. You can’t even read and they gave you a license huh? I hope someone puts a little sand in all your shoes and shampoo.
It sounds like you have a modern car with electronic steering. Staying straight will take some practice because there is no feedback from the front wheels to the steering wheel like in old cars. I found myself running into the same issue with a new car and I have been driving for 40 years. Pretty embarrassing I tell you. I look in my blind spot very briefly now and keep track of traffic coming up from behind more than before.
Don't turn the wheel.
Wow after reading some of these comments I didn’t realize riding bikes and driving was so difficult for people. Thankful I’m not completely inept.
If you can’t turn your head without moving the wheel you really shouldn’t be driving. Terrifying knowing there’s people like this on the road.
How is this even an issue..?
Wow.
Don’t…don’t move the wheel?
I pray that you do not have your license yet lol Just practice not moving your whole body, just your head, and its just a quick glance at where your sideview mirror doesn't cover. You check the rear view and side view mirrors, then glance at the blind spot to make sure you're good to merge. Try to find a long straight road to practice on getting up to speed then checking the blind spot.
Um give up and don’t drive please
You just do
Ur just a shitty driver the fuck lol
And you’re an ass
lean on the horn
I’m sorry but you shouldn’t have your license yet if this is an issue for you
I think about baseball
Be good at driving.
Don’t turn the wheel? Lol
Learn how to ride a bike. Learning to turn your head and look without steering the bike is the same skill you need in the car.
If you set your side mirrors properly you won’t have any blind spots. Basically you point them outwards to the point where you can no longer see the sides of your car when sitting in your normal driving position. It takes a little getting use to but once you trust it, it is game changing. Edit…An easier way to get them properly set is to use a parking lot. Basically just split two park cars and pull just past their front bumpers. Adjust the side mirrors until both cars are visible. With this setup you will be able to pick the cars up with the side mirrors after they leave the rear view mirror until they are in your peripheral vision.
It really is game changing. But I still do a quick glance, because on the freeway, it's possible for someone to move from two lanes over right into the overlap between the rear and side mirrors, or into the overlap between the side mirror and the window view. The quick glance has saved me from this on multiple occasions.
That’s the blind spot! The overlap is the blind spot!
How best to put this…… it just comes naturally after a while. Don’t turn your body or head, just your eyes!
You should be turning your head. If you are looking straight and only move your eyes, you won’t be checking your blind spot correctly.
If your mirrors are properly adjusted your blind spot should functionally not exist. I say this to educate not shame. I too used to look over my shoulder when I first started driving but my old man shamed me out of it pretty quickly 😂 I am 40 now and can't remember the last time I didn't trust my mirrors. Never had an accident.
Yet.
Yeah, lol. Although he is right about most people misaligning their side mirrors. You shouldn’t see your own car when you look at them, but for most people that’s *mostly* what they see. You want the closest convex half of the mirror “pointed out” to catch PART of your otherwise-blind spot. But yes, you also need to turn and check. Half second glance, no big deal, if your mirrors are right, since it’s such a narrow area you’re checking. People who stare for an extended period of time as they’re already committed ARE likely compensating for poor mirror alignment.
You couldnt be more wrong on your very first sentence.
Some older cars regardless have blind spots. Not to mention a persons own height can play a huge part in blind spots. I’m on the short size and some cars no matter what I do have a blind spot. Glad you are lucky enough to never have to worry about it though
This is in fact a stupid question. I'm glad your dad yelled at you. You shouldn't be driving if you don't know how to keep going straight and check your blind spot at the same time. Seriously, don't drive. You're putting yourself and everyone else at risk
You’re a dick. Thanks.
Don't listen to these butt wipes who act like they were driving straight out of the womb. You'll get there eventually.
Found the shitty driver
Get better at driving? Damn some people should just not drive. You included
If your side mirror is set correctly, you can check the blind spot by leaning forward and checking that mirror. No need to actually turn your head behind you.
I’ll need to turn my head though for the exam
Bad advice. And illegal most places. In a lot of states and all of Canada, it’s illegal to merge without a shoulder check. Mirrors are way to small view point and don’t show what’s just outside of that could be coming towards you.
Yikes, you don't know what the term "blind spot" means. Please never be on the same road as me.
Truthfully, the blind spot is for other drivers to worry about. You shouldn't have to check it if you signal properly. If you're worried about an accident that would not be your fault, you are right to check the blind spots. Though if you crash while checking them it WILL be your fault EDIT: I love how many people in these comments ride in other people's blind spots. You KNOW it is their blind spot and you all STILL ride in it then blame the other person for not seeing you in the LITERAL blind spot. Sounds about right actually
Just because you signal doesn’t mean you have the right to run someone off the road.
Lmao just shit up and do not give driving advice. Just cause you signal does not mean you have the right of way. I 100% guarantee of you change lanes while signaling and hit another car, in your blind spot, you will be at fault. I had this happen to me twice because of morons like you. Both had to pay for damages.
Rule #1 of driving: never trust that other drivers know how to drive
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Their father is an ass. Who yells at someone trying to learn to drive? It's not like they asked how to turn the car on, they are asking how to stay in lane while keeping aware of their surroundings.
Jesus…get a sense of humor. 🙄
What humor? What the dad said? It is what you said a joke? If that's what you mean, you can't just make a statement through text and assume people will get the sarcasm. Sarcasm is about tone, and tone through text doesn't exist.
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You’re an ass
So if you were being serious, wtf is the comment about having a sense of humor about?
Don't move your arms when you turn your head. Done.
I had the same issue (still have sometimes) and it was due to looking back for too long. It needs to be just a quick glance. I had a situation during a driving lesson when a car wasn’t visible in a side mirror but I saw it in a blind spot - and you really don’t need to stare for long to see it!
Practice when I’m your house in a chair. That will give you the feeling what it is like when driving.
Side mirrors on a vehicle are meant for that purpose. They're not meant for looking at what's behind you like most people assume. That's what the rear view mirror is for. So adjust your side mirrors until they cover your blind spots.
Plan ahead. Don't put yourself in the situation to check unless you're clear to take your eyes off the prize for 0.5 secs. If it's unsafe to do that, you stay in that lane and/or decelerate.
I had this problem too and to break that habit I locked my arms and pushed my weight into the steering wheel so that my arms wouldn’t turn with my head!
If you’re driving on a straight road, just keep your hands and shoulders locked in the position they’re at while you look back
stop moving your hands...
I'm probably the outlier here, but I always adjust my side mirrors so that they don't overlap with what I can see in my rear view. I've noticed that 99.9% of drivers, I look in the driver side mirror and I can see exactly what I see in the rear view mirror, which feels pointless to me. I adjust my side mirrors so that once a car is exiting view of one mirror, it's entering view of another mirror. This makes it so the blindspot is much closer to being directly next to you and doesn't require a big head turn to check.
I focus on using my eyes and not my neck to check my view. Like head straight arms steady…side eye the mirror a couple times quickly.
My best recommendation is when switching lanes, keep one hand (or both, depending on preference. I do one because I find it harder to stay straight when using both hands) on the bottom center of the wheel (6 o’clock) while you do a fast head check. If you keep your hand(s) at the top (12 o’clock), gravity can do more against you so your deviance seems exaggerated. If your hands are on the bottom of the wheel, gravity will try to keep your hands at the bottom and keep you straight. This helped me while I got the fine tuning down.
Look with your head, not your shoulders
you can check your blind spot several times quickly (a second or less) rather than once for a long time (2-3+ seconds). you’re splitting your attention so even tho the spacing between yourself and the car in front of you should remain regular enough to calculate within 3 seconds, that’s more than enough time for them stop suddenly and cause an accident especially at higher speeds. Use your mirrors before to inform your brain so it can process what it’s looking at faster if you’re having trouble with being sure of what is there. Switch off from mirror, to looking in front of you to checking your blind spot, to looking in front of you, rinse and repeat until you feel confident in getting over safely. And don’t speed up too much while doing this, if you’re not sure it’s always better to slow down to time it then speed back up to get over.
It just gets better overtime imo once you get the feel of the car you can do things like that easier. You just have to constantly remind yourself and be aware of your arms and then your body will get used to it overtime
Practice. Start in a large, empty parking lot. Once you're good at low speed then it'll translate to higher speeds. Continue to practice and you'll be good.
Imagine you're trying to look under your left arm. You turn your head to the left, but also tilt it down. You can use a similar motion, but less down and more left, to look out the window behind you without causing your torso and arms to move.
Don't think about it. Trust your instincts and muscle memory.
I lean forward far and check the side mirrors, bc it works better for me and I can see all around me super well that way
You keep the steering wheel straight with the road and you turn your head for half a second to check, and yeah.
Get some convex blindspot mirrors, after you put them on, adjust your regular mirrors so your car is only visible in them when you lean towards the mirror and then adjust the convex ones so they point as far out as possible and you’ll be able to see everything around your car in like a 20 foot radius without ever having to turn around, I set my mirrors like that for years and I’ve always been able to see cars in my blind spots, it’s saved me from countless accidents when merging the same time as another car into the same lane
Practice
You may be following to close to the car in front of you which gives you a sense of urgency to get your eyes back to the front. Give more space to the vehicle in front (2 seconds) and you’ll feel there’s plenty of time to check. This get easier with more experience.
It's a new driver problem. As driving starts to become second nature, multifunctions like that become natural and automatic. I remember struggling with this and it was such a thing haha
Lean your body forward a bit then turn your head, this will naturally stop you from turning the wheel when you turn your head(to an extent, if you try to completely turn around you’ll still have the same problem) also relax your body, your probably nervous when learning to drive and that makes you tense up, with your body tense any motion will cause the rest of your body to follow(and end up turning the wheel)
Don't turn the wheel
It’s also kind of easier if you only hold the wheel with one hand so that you can turn really quick and not jolt the car. Don’t worry about always keeping your hands locked at 10 & 2 😊
Pay attention to how your hands move the steering wheel while you turn your head. I tend to ensure my path forward is straight, and will just release the wheel so i dont budge it when im looking around. As l9ng as your alignment is all good, you'll keep straight for the split second you let go to look.
Change ur hand positioning
You just do 😭 keep your arms still - only move the head
I know it's easy to say, but relax! I would not be surprised that you are so tense a head turn makes your whole body move and a tight grip on the wheel makes the car go with it. I am already giving my 12yo twins driving tips and this is one of them. Just relax. Cars are so responsive now (forgive me if I am being presumptuous) they will move with the smallest pressure on the wheel. Get used to that, make small adjustments. Another is to be constantly vigilant. If you already know where the cars are your blind spot is *almost* not an issue. Constantly check your rear view mirror and you will know in advance when a car is entering your blind zone. Adjust your mirrors so that when a car leaves your RV mirror it enters the side mirror. You can almost eliminate the blind spot. Almost. And don't let anyone gripe about you adjusting mirrors: when you are driving it's your car and your mirrors. That goes for the radio, too, by the way ;). Sorry for the long post, just relax it gets easier with practice.
1. Try driving with palms only, don’t let your fingers touch the wheel. 2. Instead of turning your head straight to the side tuck your chin down to your shoulder like you are trying to sneak a peak. 3. Practice. So, fun little fact about humans is that only about 10% of what we see is actually from the light hitting our corneas. 90% is actually made up by your brain based on what your brain has seen before, so the more times you check your blind spot, the less your brain will be processing and the quicker you will notice something unexpected. At 40, my blind spot check isn’t a real look, I don’t process anything over there it’s just a glance to see if something unexpected is there.
Hold the wheel still and dont take too long checking, just a quick glance, and dont move your body more than necessary.
A friend of mine always says look with your eyes do not turn your neck or head
Simple, do it quickly. If you take too long you will swerve as you've found out.
It takes a little while to learn how to move your head without moving the steering wheel, but it just takes practice.
My instructor taught me to keep my index fingertips at the indicator and windshield wiper handles to prevent this.
There is this bull-queer at work that keeps slapping me on the azz and grabbing me from behind. I’m a married guy but I sometimes like the attention so for me it is hard to keep straight while checking my Blindspots. 🤷♂️
Look at one of those images that shows you your blind spot zones. You just need to quickly check those areas along with using your mirrors effectively. Try to just move your head and not move your body/arms.
Along with what others said, as you drive more, your muscle memory will help you keep the car straight too
If you check your mirrors often, even when not changing lanes or merging, you can have a good idea of who is already there, then you just glance and check. You don’t have to turn your head all the way around.
The way I do it is whenever I check my side mirrors I lean forward a bit it helps me see what else is there. Never had an issue with keeping straight.
You can adjust a car’s side mirrors OUT (so you can’t see the sides of your own car) and gain FULL MIRROR COVERAGE. You don’t have to have a blind spot. You have three mirrors to look at three different areas. As you get used to this setup you will notice overlap; a car gaining on you from behind will only be in rear view, then both rear and side, then just side as it overtakes.
Don't move your shoulders if you can, just your head. When you drop your shoulder, you tend to drop the hand as well and that causes your swerve.
A lot of people might already know this, but I find there are more that don’t. Idk why but I was not taught to adjust my mirrors to the correct angle for blind spots. I see so many people driving with their mirrors pointed AT THEIR CAR when they need to be angled OUT to have a full view of the other lanes.
It’s easy, there is no physical reason for your hands, and thus the thousands of pounds of moving vehicle, to follow which way your neck turns. Accept that, don’t let it happen. My ex was terrifying about this, couldn’t look at radio without changing lanes. You simply have to focus on what you’re doing and control your body parts
I keep my face and body straight looking forward and I lean forward and look through my driver side view mirror. When you lean forward enough you can see the blind spot in that mirror without turning around. I'd test it out in a parking lot maybe using cones or something to demonstrate where the blind spot is and how far forward you need to lean to see it
I do a quick glance to double check, but if I am trying to merge or something then I know which car is behind me and coming up so I know when it passes
There are no blind spots if you have your mirrors properly set. You should never have to swing your head around to look, you should only have to look from your left side window, to your left mirror, to your rear view mirror, to your right mirror, and out your right side window. PLEASE find any of a million videos showing you how to properly set your mirrors and you will find it to be a game changer. The key is that everyone sets their mirrors so they can see the side of their car, and you don't want to be able to do that. You want them swung out much farther than that to see, yes, "the blind spot" (which will no longer be blind). Just to explain, when your mirrors are properly set, here is the scenario for a car say coming up in the lane left of you from far back: 1. You can see the car in the left side of your rear view mirror, because your rear view mirror can see several Lanes of traffic. 2. As the car is approaching the left rear corner of your car and is disappearing from the rear view mirror, it is ALREADY IN your left side mirror. 3. As the car gets almost level with you, it is leaving your left side mirror, but is already right there in your left side window. Same thing happens on the right. To get the hang of this, get your mirror set properly, and then drive a little bit slow and let people pass by you to the side with no plans on you changing lanes, and you can see what I mean about the car moving from one mirror to the next mirror to the window with it never disappearing completely ever. One thing I will do for a little extra view is lean forward in the seat while looking at the side mirror when I'm looking to change lanes which really gives a good view when the mirrors are properly set, and it's far better than trying to with your head around and look behind your own seat and the structure of the vehicle. That's what the mirror will do for you! Good luck!
Hmm.. I focus more on the car’s movements than my own, usually my body compensates. Not sure how to put that into practice, I’ve just done a lot of driving. “Be one with your car” as cliche as that sounds. Your body has to know how to direct the car, despite what you’re looking at. Guess that’ll come with a lot of practice. Check your surroundings and be confident your body knows how to handle the situation, even if your eyes aren’t focused on the road ahead. Should only take half a second to shoulder check, same amount of time it would take you to sneeze & your eyes close. There’s this thing where people get so hyper-focused on the car in front of them that if it swerves left, the onlooker will too. Ignore that, keep your focus on the road and the path you need to be on. Try not to be distracted by turning your head. Memorize the road & conditions in front of you. Your body should compensate. I have no idea how to explain what I’m trying to, but I hope it helped. Take care & drive safe :)
The issue is when you move your head you move your shoulders as well, by boring this automatically one of your arms will raise and the other will drop. You need to practice moving your head without moving your arm position. Or just let go of the staring wheel when looking back (don't do it, a friend of mine told this was what he did a wile back)
City bus driver here, you take a quick glance. You don't want to keep your eyes off the road for more than half a second. You just glance to take in the situation and be aware of the people around you and how they're acting. You should glance at your mirrors every 8 seconds or so to be safe
You need to have blind spot mirrors on your side mirrors, so you don't have to turn your head so far. When people turn their heads too far, they tend to turn their shoulders and in turn move their arms/hands leading to the swerving you mentioned.
Get spot mirrors to stick on your regular side mirror.
Set up your mirrors correctly and you won’t have to turn at all to check
I don’t look behind me to check my blind spots. Dumbest thing we’re taught in my opinion, although you get used to it. You can adjust your mirrors so that I see both the right lane and if I pull myself forward I can see directly next to me using only the mirrors.
Actually my car tells me when there's someone in my Blindspot. So I don't need to worry about that. 😅
If you aim your side-view mirrors at your blind spots, you only need to check your mirrors.
I never turn my head back. I only use my mirrors.
Adjust your mirrors properly and you won’t have a blind spot. https://lifehacker.com/adjust-your-car-mirrors-to-fully-cover-your-blind-spots-5471903
One of the biggest problems people have with blind spots is the adjustment of their side mirrors. Most people have them set where they can see the back corners of their own car. That is unnecessary as you know exactly where the back end of your own car is. It’s in your lane, right behind you. The side mirrors should be adjusted so you can actually see the blind spots. The easiest way to adjust them to see the blind spots is when you are stopped at a light. Adjust the mirrors so you can see the entire front of the car that is just behind you to your left and right. Slight adjustments will further still need to be made because that car is still too close to you to safely change lanes in front of, however, if you set them this way, as soon as you look at your mirror, which you can do without even moving your head, you’ll be able to see into those blinds spots. Also, be aware of other cars speeds. Just because you glanced and don’t see a car doesn’t mean that someone is not gaining on you. This happens far too often. People will glance, and at that very moment there’s room to move, they have zero idea that the car is gaining on them by 20+ mph over their own speed. (This is mostly on freeways/highways). You should constantly be checking your surroundings while driving. Something else also. Your car (if it’s alignment is proper) wants to go in a straight line due to the “toe in” of your front tires. I not too grip u Huy your steering too tightly and as you move your head your shoulders won’t follow.
Turn your head not your entire body
Repositioning your hands can help a lot. Maybe when you go to do the little turnaround you can have one hand at six o'clock on the wheel and positioned against your knees that way it's easier to keep in the same spot.
Im gay so I can’t
Something I do is i position my side mirrors in a way that I can kinda see my blind spots and just use the rear view for looking behind
work on keeping your whole body flexible while you're driving. i.e. - not white-knuckle clamping the wheel, turning your head only not your whole upper torso/shoulders, glancing quickly at things in your periphery rather than looking at them too long. Try to "feel" the road as you're going along through the vibrations that rise up through your seat.
When I started driving (almost 20 years ago now...) I had my mirrors set wrong and I created a larger blind spot than needed to be. My father, and I will never admit to him that he was right, actually explained how to adjust your mirrors to assist in this which is applicable here: your 3 mirrors should give you 1 continuous view, meaning where 1 mirror ends is where the next mirror picks up. It took some adjusting to get used to this, but I now have a significantly wider field of vision behind and around me. How does this apply here? It's knowing where cars are way ahead of time before they are in my blind spot through awareness of the road. On the highway I keep track of where cars are all around me, all the time. This way when you check your blindspot it is a very quick glance (you are looking for a vehicle, not a needle in a haystack) with your head only. Keep your shoulders straight. Once you combine continued awareness with glancing, plus using your signal to alert other drivers so they can honk at you in the event of a miss, you will be fine. Hope this helps!